


love in photographs

by peachenhun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-18 04:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11283606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachenhun/pseuds/peachenhun
Summary: Of course Jongdae would be the main focus of Sehun’s first photography exhibition.





	love in photographs

**Author's Note:**

> unbetaed (plus english isn’t my first language) so i'm terribly sorry if there’s something that may not make sense rip. i’m not sure if this sweet enough but i hope the prompter enjoys it.

**polaroid #154  
spring, 2010. myeongdong, seoul.**  
  
It’s a simple photo of Jongdae’s back. The lights of Myeongdong district at night create a magical aura around Jongdae’s small frame.  
  
Sehun remembers how it was Chanyeol’s idea to go there for spring festival but once they arrived there, disappointment welcomed them. The festival was cancelled for unknown reasons and so the three of them had to go back to their dorms.  
  
But while walking to the train station, Sehun pulled his polaroid camera out of his bag and took a photo. Jongdae had a supernatural sense which made him turn around just in time for polaroid no. 155. It’s one of Sehun’s favourites in his vast collection. Jongdae’s feline eyes widened in the funniest expression to then morph in a sweet smile that made Sehun’s heart skip a beat.  
  
  
Rummaging through his hundreds and hundreds of photographies, Sehun finds polaroid no. 856.  
  
  
**winter, 2010.  
jongdae hyung’s house.**  
  
A chill runs up Sehun’s spine as multiple memories cloud his mind. That polaroid is the two of them, smiling to the camera with their cheeks pressed. Jongdae has a kittenish smile, lips curling upwards and eyes disappearing into thin lines. Sehun has his characteristic half moon eye smile, a gentle blush colouring his cheeks. Most people wouldn’t notice thanks to their radiant expressions and the low quality of the polaroids. No. Nobody would notice, only Sehun and just because the memory, even years afterwards is still vivid and fresh.  
  
That winter night at Jongdae’s house they shared their first kiss as a couple. It would have never crossed Sehun’s mind that in the end it’d be Jongdae who would finally take the initiative and ask him out.  
  
A pleasant surprise.  
  
**Polaroid #298** is pretty minimalistic. It’s Sehun’s and Jongdae’s footsteps on a beach in Busan they visited after Sehun’s birthday party at a picnic place.  
  
Jongdae had prepared a picnic day to celebrate, he thought it’d be nice since Sehun had just gotten Vivi. All their friends were there with balloons and Sehun’s favourite dishes.  
  
At some point the calm celebration turned into a water battle thanks to Baekhyun and the water guns he brought. Sehun and Jongdae managed to sneak away near a group of high trees. They were both all wet, Sehun’s hair dripping water onto Jongdae’s face due to the sudden proximity. Sehun’s ears felt painfully hot, Jongdae’s fixed gaze on him so very obvious whilepiercing holes on his face.  
  
Sehun’s heartbeat was running a solo race, totally erratic but he kept a poker facewith some effort. Their faces were extremely close, nothing but thin air separating their noses from touching. He was always very conscious of Jongdae’s proximity but this was… More than he could take. Heat in form of bright pink blush was rising to his cheeks and Sehun was sure it would’ve had covered his entire face, ears and neck if he hadn’t been so good at keeping a blank exterior regardless of how vibrant and consuming his emotions and feelings could get.  
  
“Hyung,” Sehun whispered, trying to keep his calm facade, thankful that his voice didn’t crack.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“What’s my birthday present? You have one right? Last year you didn’t give me one.” Sehun kindly reminded him with a sweet smile. It didn’t really bother him, not receiving a birthday present. But getting one from Jongdae would make him… How to say it? Glow in happiness.  
  
Jongdae visibly swallowed, unsure about how to reply. “I prepared the party.”  
  
Sehun sighed and let his forehead rest on Jongdae’s shoulder, a difficult action thanks to their height differences. A lemon and vanilla scent tickled his nostrils.  
  
“Fine,” he mumbled.  
  
“Sehun?”  
  
“Mhm.”  
  
“Happy birthday.”  
  
“Thank you, hyung.”  
  
“Sehun?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I love you.”  
  
A rush of happiness made Sehun hug Jongdae tightly. Returning the hug, Jongdae squeezed Sehun’s slim waist.  
  
“Thank you, hyung.”  
  
Sehun did get a birthday gift afterwards. It made him feel oddly sad, but he didn’t attempt to return it. He wasn’t able to take pictures of the picnic party, afraid that the water battle could splash his camera.  
  
People often asked why is he so much into photography. He likes it so he does it. Sehun doesn’t really have a particular trascendental reason. He wants to keep memories from the times he felt happy in case his memory might betray him or the engraved images in his head fade away with the restless pace of time.  
  
Why is Jongdae his favourite subject… That’s a question he gets more often than not and has a very obvious answer everyone knows but still love to ask just to make him flustered.  
  
He doesn’t remember when or how he started liking Jongdae, Chanyeol’s ex boyfriend and Sehun’s friend since sophomore year. In fact, it had been thanks go Sehun that Chanyeol could ask Jongdae out. He had a few polaroids of them together but he’s thrown them away long ago.  
  
His massive collection of polaroids captures different dates, from random ones to others more significant.  
  
Like **polaroid #1732.**  
  
It’s Jongdae’s naked body. The low quality doesn’t allow a clear view of the moles on Jongdae’s skin. Sehun solemnly swore no one would ever see the picture, which apparently was enough to grant him permission.  
  
He woke up first, a rare event.  
  
It hadn’t been his first time spending the night at Jongdae’s tiny apartment so he moved freely through the barely habitable place. The minuscule kitchen wasn’t territory for Sehun to step in so he went back to the bedroom.  
  
Jongdae whined when Sehun ruffled his hair playfully and then shook his shoulder in attempts to make him open his eyes. But he didn’t. He just moved away from Sehun who kept trying to take him away from this sweet warmth embracing him. Sehun was certain nothing would force Jongdae to leave his soft and comfy mattress till at least 1 PM. In normal circumstances.  
  
Jongdae wasn’t the type to sleep a whole saturday. But his crazy shifts at work and merciless amount of assignments the past month were weighting on him. So Sehun jumped off the mattress and let his best friend turned boyfriend sleep comfortably.  
  
However.  
  
Click.  
  
Click.  
  
Click.  
  
“Oh Sehun!” Jongdae’s eyes snapped open as he sat, the blankets falling to reveal his naked body. “Stop taking pictures!” he yelled, rubbing the sleep off his eyes.  
  
Sehun half smiled, “I knew you weren’t sleeping.”  
  
“You’re impossible. Come here.”  
  
Sehun surged forward and sat next to Jongdae.  
  
“What are the plans for today?”  
  
An immediate answer, “Cuddles and takeout. You modelling for me,” Sehun smirked.  
  
Jongdae squeezed Sehun’s bare thigh and gave a cheeky smile in agreement.  
  
Around twenty seven moles. Maybe a few more or a few less. That’s the amount of moles Sehun remembers counting. The nude polaroid is the most recent one in his collection, and probably the last considering his camera is close to finding eternal rest.  
  
But it’s okay. It’s not like all the pictures Sehun has of Jongdae or everything that captures his attention had been taken with the polaroid camera.  
  
He uses his phone regularly, especially for selfies with Jongdae. His roll seems endless as he scrolls up to the oldest ones.  
  
**10/03/2015**  
**23:09**  
  
Jongdae was asleep. Even asleep, his lips were curling upwards, always giving a touch of mischief to his face. The bags under his eyes weren’t particularly noticeable but as Sehun closed distance between their bodies to take a better look, he realised how exhaused Jongdae really was. His heart did some funny jumps inside his chest. Worry. Jongdae rarely looked tired.  
  
Wanting to save the unsual image, Sehun pulled his phone out of his pocket to take a picture but just when he was settling a good angle, Jongdae’s voice startled him.  
  
“Don’t do it.” Jongdae’s eyes fluttered open, he attempted to give Sehun a scolding look however his sleepy face ruined the desired effect.  
  
“You’re mean, hyung.” Sehun said, pouting.  
  
Jongdae sat and raised his arms, stretching like a cat. He had been sleeping on his desk, a recent habit that made his back resent him deeply for his carelessness. Finals were a nightmare this semester and no amount of americano was keeping him awake during his sad study nights; he continuously fell asleep after just a short reading of his heavy textbooks. And at this pace he would probably fail calculus and ancient greek history.  
  
“Sehun-ah, help me study.” Jongdae batted his pretty, long eyelashes at his younger friend. It’s still unknown to him, after five years of friendship (which two were spent in college), how Sehun managed to ace all his tests and midterms and finals without much effort. Jongdae couldn’t just accept his “I’m a genius” explanation. “I’ll make you dinner for a week,” Jongdae murmurs, bribing Sehun.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Ah why not?!” Jongdae whines, sitting straight and glaring Sehun’s forehead, hoping the intensity of his eyes could psych Sehun into helping him in this terrible time of need.  
  
“Let me take how many photos I want of you for a month and I’ll make sure you get perfect grades in calculus and greek history,” Sehun proposed softly, a playful glint in his eyes. Both of them knew Jongdae couldn’t refuse Sehun’s offer and Jongdae’s resigned sigh marked Sehun’s victory who smiled triumphantly.  
  
Two weeks later, Jongdae stared at his grades displayed on the computer screen. A’s. He got perfect grades on both his two most feared finals. Sehun didn’t do much though, just explained everything in a surprisingly smooth and clear way, helping Jongdae with some tips to memorize details and other to fully comprehend the long book chapters.  
  
The whole process was captured by Sehun’s professional camera and phone. It made Jongdae a bit giddy. His cheeks got red under Sehun’s restless and intense gaze as he explained and then took pictures.  
  
Jongdae wouldn’t admit it, but Sehun being so… fascinated with him made him highly flustered.  
  
And Sehun knew. It wasn’t hard to notice, Jongdae exteriorised his feelings a lot. He could read his hyung like the palm of his hand. It was both amusing and endearing.  
  
A recent picture from five days ago is Jongdae kissing Sehun. Minseok took it with his own phone and then sent it to Sehun. It’s one of his favourites.  
  
Pictures capture more than an instant in time, converting it from a fleeting moment that someday might disappear into an eternal one, captured and frozen so the participants in said moment never forget. It can be both a reminder of happy times or perpetuate a bad memory.  
  
Sehun loves photography. Loves Jongdae just as much.  
  
(They’re different types of love.)  
  
  
///  
  
Jongdae knows he’s an attractive man. Above average. But not really a breathtaking type of beauty. The pictures in the exhibit prove him wrong. It’s him, displayed in different positions and natural poses just like expressions of totally faceless photos.  
  
“It’s because that’s how he sees you, you know?” Minseok says, placing a hand on the small of his back. “This exhibition showcases Sehun’s love for you and how you look through his eyes,” Minseok continues. “He’s done an outstanding work. You’re definitely his muse.”  
  
The knot of emotion in his throat is hard to swallow, just like it’s hard to digest the butterflies in his stomach. Minseok’s palm is hot on his clothed skin, a heavy comment his oldest friend is tired of saying aloud because Jongdae does nothing but ignore what everyone considers wise words.  
  
“Observe every photograph in this exhibition and then think, what do you see? What do you think?” Minseok adds lastly, and gives Jongdae a fond smile before taking a leave to talk to other friends.  
  
Jongdae sighs and does as told, walking around in the huge hall for Sehun’s newest exhibition. It’s mostly pictures of Jongdae with some scenery ones.  
  
It’s… overwhelming.  
  
Seeing himself through Sehun’s sharp, observant eyes that never miss a detail. It makes heat rise to his cheeks, a dark shade of pink blooming on his skin. It makes his heart stutter its beats in a nervous and erratic rhythm. Affection clings to his chest, squeezing his heart.  
  
“What are you thinking?” Sehun’s voice arrives gentle, as per usual. A palm rests on Jongdae’s waist. An anchor.  
  
“You really love me a lot, don’t you?”  
  
Sehun gasps and covers a snort with his free hand. “Uh, yeah. I do.”  
  
Jongdae smiles and relaxes against Sehun. Sehun’s arms lock around him in a comfortable back hug.  
  
“Thank you, Sehunnie.”  
  
“I should be the one saying that,” Sehun chuckles.  
  
“What for?”  
  
“Why are you thanking me?” Sehun asks back.  
  
Jongdae stays silent for a long minute. “For dedicating me this, I guess.”  
  
Sehun laughs, butterflies buzzing in his stomach. “Thank you for being my muss, hyung. For being so beautiful.”  
  
The arrangement of the pictures doesn’t portray a chronological order. All of them exhibit different situations and stages of a relationship. The friendship with the silly pranks (Jongdae laughing at Sehun’s bad dyed red hair) or the romantic closeness of a kiss (Sehun leaning down to press his lips on Jongdae’s) or phases of infatuation, (Pictures of Jongdae in everyday activities). All of them share one thing.  
  
Love.  
  
Continuity isn’t necessary in the series of photographs displaying Sehun’s undeniable affection for Jongdae, because even if their current status is dating, Sehun still considers Jongdae his best friend.  
  
Even if they broke up, nothing would change.  
  
“Hyung.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Let’s take a selfie.”  



End file.
